The Cost of Freedom
by StaringGreyEyes
Summary: Rose has been a trainer for eighteen months. After she stones a young Pichu, Rose encounters a new and unknown pokemon in Eterna Forest. Toxeon makes her pay dearly for her cruelty. Perhaps too dearly.


Chapter One

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except maybe Rose, who is mine, but I'm not terribly anxious to claim her.

Rose gritted her teeth and tried to think clearly over the agonised screeches of her pokémon.

"Zuuuuu!"

Her Zubat was losing badly to the wild Budew. Her accuracy had been greatly reduced, thanks to the many double team attacks the foe had used, and one of her wings had gone crooked. Every time she swooped low enough to land a leech life on the Budew, the Budew slammed her with a tackle attack.

**The wild Budew used tackle! A critical hit!** Her pokédex informed her cheerfully. **Zubat has two Health Points remaining!**

"Shut up," Rose muttered to it.

She turned worried eyes back to the battle. Her Zubat seemed to be on her last legs. It shrieked pitifully, taking shuddering breaths as it fluttered lopsidedly.

Rose bit her lip and took a deep breath.

"One more try, Zubat! Then I'll recall you! One more! Leech life!"

With a desperate howl, Zubat dived towards the Budew and, by sheer luck, hit it squarely with a perfect Leech Life attack.

**Zubat used Leech Life! It****'****s super effective! **The pokédex announced**. Zubat has fifteen health points remaining!**

The grass pokémon staggered backwards, mewling in shock.

Rose grinned in relief.

"What about the Budew?" she asked the pokédex.

**The wild Budew****'****s health is on RED ALERT.**

"Ok, great. Let's finish this, Zubat! Another Leech Life!"

Zubat swooped again. She missed.

"Damn! You missed _again!_" Rose yelled.

**Affirmative**, agreed the pokédex. **The wild Budew used tackle! A critical hit! Zubat has one health point remaining!**

Rose glared at her Zubat and pulled out a pokéball.

"OK, Zubat, that's enough. Retur-"

The Budew slammed into Zubat with a final pursuit attack.

Zubat's battered body fell to the ground and rolled up to her feet.

**Budew used pursuit! Zubat fainted!**

Rose swore and recalled her. Still, she was very close now. She might as well finish the job.

"Pichu, go!"

Her other, new and weaker pokémon appeared in a flash of white light. Rose had never used him before.

"Pii?"

"OK, Pichu, use… growl!" Rose ordered.

Pichu took one look at the Budew and curled up in a frightened ball. He trembled violently, too terrified to move, let alone attack.

"Or Defence Curl… That works too…"

**The wild Budew used absorb! Pichu has three health points remaining!**

"Pichu! Do something!"

**Pichu pretended not to notice! **

"Come _on_, Pichu!"

**The wild Budew used absorb! The wild Budew****'****s attack missed!**

Rose thought furiously. She'd gotten good grades in _Pokémon Theory_ at school. She should know what to do… Ah! In a flash of inspiration, Rose remembered. Young electric pokémon tended to let off involuntary electric attacks when exposed to negative physical stimulation. It was an old survival instinct for fending off predators. If something hit it, it would let off sparks!

Rose picked up a small stone and pitched it at the baby pokémon. It hit, skimming across the pokémon's back and leaving a long red gash.

Pichu squealed in pain and, sure enough, a rain of yellow sparks peppered the Budew. Pichu curled up tighter, in pain and fear. Blood dribbled out of his wound, staining his fur.

**Pichu used spark! It****'****s not very effective! The wild Budew fainted! Pichu gained twenty-four experience points. Pichu grew to level four!**

A list of Pichu's stats ran across the Pokédex screen.

"We won. Finally!" Rose whooped.

**Affirmative.**

"I'm sure a level eleven Budew isn't meant to be that tough. Pokédex, change to SatNav mode. Give me directions to the nearest Pokémon Centre. I think the pokémon need healing."

**Certainly.**

A map appeared on the screen. Rose scanned it carefully, looking for a Pokémon Centre. But then something distracted her.

She heard a moan coming from a little way off. It wasn't a human moan, it was the cry of a pokémon. And the moaner seemed to be in considerable stress.

"Pokédex, is that noise a pokémon? It sounds like a pokémon."An ambitious glint appeared in Rose's eye."Is it rare?"

**Cannot confirm.**

"Oh. Why?"

**Insufficient range for identification.**

Rose nodded. She had to get closer so that her pokédex could tell her what it was.

"Wait there, Pichu,"

Pichu didn't seem inclined to argue, or answer at all.

She had to go less than ten paces before she saw it, tangled in a bush.

It was definitely a pokémon, Rose could see that, but not one she had seen before. It was small and quadrupedal, no bigger than a Growlithe and its fur was a dirty purple colour, like an Espeon's, but much darker. It was catlike and streamlined. It had dark green eyes and slanting black ears. There was a bloody stump on its behind where a full tail may once have been.

Rose could hear its raw breathing. It was lying, still and exhausted, on the floor. Its ribs were showing under the taut purple skin and it had lots of cuts and bruises littering its sweaty body. Its HP was probably very low. And it still hadn't seen her…

Rose smiled confidently. She had plenty of pokéballs and it looked far too weak to try and struggle.

She produced half a packet of Pokébait and threw a few pellets at the purple pokémon. It flinched and tensed its muscles, but then realised that it wasn't being attacked. After a few minutes it sniffed the food. Then the pokémon slunk up to the pile of food and began to eat ravenously. It was gobbling like it hadn't eaten in days.

Rose reached into her pocket and pulled out a Quick ball. Then she picked up the stone she had hit Pichu with. She aimed the ball…

It soared through the air and towards the unsuspecting pokémon. The red light engulfed it and the pokéball shut tight. It twitched and rolled, twitched again…

And exploded.

The Quick ball shattered into many sharp pieces and one red hot shard hit Rose in the face, burning her.

She screamed.

The mystery pokémon burst out of the broken ball with a howl of rage. It turned on her and snarled. "Xxxeeeoon!"

_Why does your kind not let mine be?!_

Rose backed off, wondering how these words had gotten into her head. They hadn't spoken. "Easy now," she said shakily, "I'm a trainer, I can protect you, get you to a Pokémon Cen… What are you doing?"

White light was seeping into the pokémon's skin. It's cuts were healing and it was looking much less vulnerable.

She whispered to her pokédex, trying to keep the confusion and fear out of her voice.

"Pokedex! What's that?"

**This move is recover. It restores up to Fifty Percent of the user's health poi-**

"Yes, yes! But what pokémon is it?! Identify it!"

**Insufficient data. File not found.**

"What?"

**Insufficient data. File not found****…**** Data Corruption in sector Alpha-Nine-Four-One. Damage to K7 LoCat circuits. Requesting immediate anti-viral scan and reinstall debugging software. Shut down and restart.**

"Pokédex, I don't understand any of that. I… I'm not a professor or something, I-"

**Wi-Fi Scanning unit detects Class ****'****A****'**** external threat to trainer 395282. You are in danger. Run.**

"What?"

**Run.**

The pokédex went dead.

Rose stumbled backwards, away from the advancing mystery pokémon. She was dazed and confused and her face hurt. Her pokémon were useless from her last battle. It was all wrong…

It suddenly occurred to her that she hadn't recalled her Pichu. It was still out in the open with this awful creature. Without taking her eyes off the purple pokémon, she clutched at Pichu's pokéball and squeaked: "Pichu, return!"

The red beam shot out of the pokéball to claim the Pichu but the frightened pokémon flung itself aside to dodge it. He mewed in desperation. He tried to scamper away but seemed to be in too much pain.

The mystery pokémon turned to look at the Pichu.

_What is this?_

"My, my P-Pichu… it's kind of new…"

_It belongs to you?_

"Y-yes, it…"

_It is injured… Ah…_

Its slit-like eyes darted to her pokeballs, to the Pichu, to Rose, to the gash on Pichu's back, to the bloody stone that was still in Rose's hand…

It understood.

It snarled with renewed anger.

"No! No… it's not like that… He wouldn't… I… It was just one time… I'm not a bad person, I'm a trainer!"

_You did this to a __child__?_

"You don't understand! I'm a trainer, you don't understand!"

_Oh, I understand…_

It lunged at her and sank its teeth into her leg.

Rose screamed and collapsed and screamed and wept and screamed as the fangs crunched her bones and blood soaked into her socks. Her body had gone rigid from the shock. She couldn't breathe, only scream…

Her bitten ankle spurted hot dark blood and she looked imploringly at the creature, tears streaking her face.

The purple pokémon hissed and bared its razor like teeth at Rose. It hissed: "Toooxxx…"

_Do not cross my path again. I do not take kindly to human 'trainers'…Especially to ones like __you__, child-killer._

With that, it turned away and fled into the forest.

"Hey…" she said weakly. Her left foot spasmed uncontrollably where she had been bitten. The pain was eating away at the corners of her vision. Things were getting dark and blurry…

An absurd sensation of relief washed over her as she saw the screen of her pokédex flicker back into life. Then the shock overcame her and she passed out.

Author's Note:

Bleeagh…

I'm my own worst enemy, sometimes. I rewrote this four times before I was satisfied with it. So what do you think? I need answers, people. This is my first Pokemon fic so I would appreciate a bit of feedback. Please? Any review is a good review but Constructive Criticism is the best. Thank you for putting up with 1668 words of this. I am eternally grateful. I will update in a week or two.

GreyEyes out.


End file.
